12 Nov 2014

Not everyone can withstand the stubborn stains and unpleasant whiffs caused by paints and associated chemicals, not even if it means doing so in order to earn a living. 

But the unfazed Mr Sam Sithole has chosen to follow the nasty path so as to put food on the table and satisfy other life’s needs.Mr Sithole said in an interview that his passion for art developed from his early childhood whilst at primary school.  

When his peers played games in the streets, he would take his time to explore his drawing skills, and at the age of 12, he had already made up his mind that he would be an artist.

“When my peers soiled themselves kicking homemade plastic balls, I choose to play around with papers and my own paint mixtures.  I crashed charcoal until it was fine and mixed it with ash and water to make my own kind of paints,” he said. 

Mr Sithole said as others went out to the streets to play, he stayed behind and would scribble anything that crossed his mind, human beings and animals and later on used his paint mixture to color them up. 

The now 46-year-old father of three girls said his passion for drawing and painting intensified at secondary school as he had a chance to learn more art basics during Art lessons.

 Upon completing his secondary studies, Sithole said never looked back as he was certain that he would make it in life as an artist. “With the basics I had learnt at secondary school, I decided to stand on my own by starting up a business as an artist,” he said. 

Mr Sithole said he practiced painting until he became perfect and then started off doing voluntary work and in the end people appreciated his work as they eventually started calling for his service. 

He now specialises in painting and does portraits and anything that the customer calls for and the response to his work has remained positive, he said, adding that most of his customers were local individuals and as far as Gaborone. 

He said his paintings can be seen on the walls of some of the pre-schools and other private learning institutions. “Through the money I make from these drawings and paintings, I am able to provide for my family,” he said.  Mr Sithole expressed the fact that one thing he is fond of about his business is that it is advertised through the word of mouth, as such he does not spend much in terms of advertising. 

“People that I have done some paintings for always recommend me whenever one needs this kind of service,” he said. Sithole further explained that his profession is about creativity, which makes the end product attractive to his customers. ENDS